Integrated circuit packages, antenna modules, and communication devices

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are antenna boards, integrated circuit (IC) packages, antenna modules, and communication devices. For example, in some embodiments, an antenna module may include: an IC package having a die and a package substrate, and the package substrate has a recess therein; and an antenna patch, coupled to the package substrate, such that the antenna patch is over or at least partially in the recess.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication devices, such as handheld computing devices andwireless access points, include antennas. The frequencies over whichcommunication may occur may depend on the shape and arrangement of anantenna or antenna array, among other factors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, not by way oflimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side, cross-sectional view of an antenna module, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 2-4 are side, cross-sectional views of example antenna boards, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an example antenna patch, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIGS. 6-11 are side, cross-sectional views of example antenna boards, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are side, cross-sectional views of example antennapatches, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a side, cross-sectional view of an integrated circuit (IC)package that may be included in an antenna module, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a side, cross-sectional view of another IC package that maybe included in an antenna module, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 16 is a side, cross-sectional view of an example antenna moduleincluding the IC package of FIG. 15, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIGS. 17A-17D illustrate various stages in an example process ofmanufacturing the antenna board of the antenna module of FIG. 16, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 18-20 are side, cross-sectional views of other example antennamodules including the IC package of FIG. 15, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are bottom views of example antenna patch arrangementsin an antenna board, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a side, cross-sectional view of an example antenna patcharrangement in an antenna board, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 24 is a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of a communicationdevice including an antenna module, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 25 is a top view of an example antenna board, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 26 is a side, cross-sectional view of the antenna board of FIG. 25coupled to an antenna board fixture, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 27 is a top view of an example antenna board, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 28 is a side, cross-sectional view of the antenna board of FIG. 27coupled to an antenna board fixture, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIGS. 29A and 29B are a top view and a side, cross-sectional view,respectively, of an antenna board coupled to an antenna board fixture,in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 30 is a side, cross-sectional view of an antenna board coupled toan antenna board fixture, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 31-34 are exploded, perspective views of example antenna modules,in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 35A and 35B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, ofan example antenna module, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a handheld communication deviceincluding an antenna module, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of a laptop communication device includingmultiple antenna modules, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 38A and 38B are side, cross-sectional views of example antennamodules, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 39-42 are side, cross-sectional views of example antenna modules,in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 43 is a top view of a wafer and dies that may be included in anantenna module, in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosedherein.

FIG. 44 is a side, cross-sectional view of an IC device that may beincluded in an antenna module, in accordance with any of the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 45 is a side, cross-sectional view of an IC device assembly thatmay include an antenna module, in accordance with any of the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 46 is a block diagram of an example communication device that mayinclude an antenna module, in accordance with any of the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional antenna arrays for millimeter wave applications haveutilized circuit boards with more than 14 (e.g., more than 18) layers ofdielectric/metal stack-up to achieve a desired performance. Such boardsare typically expensive and low yield, as well as unbalanced in theirmetal density and dielectric thickness. Further, such boards may bedifficult to test, and may not be readily capable of incorporating theshielding required to achieve regulatory compliance.

Disclosed herein are antenna boards, integrated circuit (IC) packages,antenna modules, and communication devices that may enable millimeterwave communications in a compact form factor. In some of the embodimentsdisclosed herein, an antenna module may include an antenna board and oneor more IC packages that may be separately fabricated and assembled,enabling increased degrees of design freedom and improved yield. Variousones of the antenna modules disclosed herein may exhibit little to nowarpage during operation or installation, ease of assembly, low cost,fast time to market, good mechanical handling, and/or good thermalperformance. Various ones of the antenna modules disclosed herein mayallow different antennas and/or IC packages to be swapped into anexisting module.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof wherein like numeralsdesignate like parts throughout, and in which is shown, by way ofillustration, embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logicalchanges may be made, without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to betaken in a limiting sense. Various operations may be described asmultiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that ismost helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, theorder of description should not be construed as to imply that theseoperations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, theseoperations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operationsdescribed may be performed in a different order from the describedembodiment. Various additional operations may be performed, and/ordescribed operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B”means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B),(A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). The drawings are not necessarilyto scale. Although many of the drawings illustrate rectilinearstructures with flat walls and right-angle corners, this is simply forease of illustration, and actual devices made using these techniqueswill exhibit rounded corners, surface roughness, and other features.

The description uses the phrases “in an embodiment” or “in embodiments,”which may each refer to one or more of the same or differentembodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, are synonymous. As used herein, a “package” and an “ICpackage” are synonymous. When used to describe a range of dimensions,the phrase “between X and Y” represents a range that includes X and Y.For convenience, the phrase “FIG. 29” may be used to refer to thecollection of drawings of FIGS. 29A-29B, the phrase “FIG. 35” may beused to refer to the collection of drawings of FIGS. 35A-35B, etc.

Any of the features discussed with reference to any of accompanyingdrawings herein may be combined with any other features to form anantenna board 102, an antenna module 100, or a communication device, asappropriate. A number of elements of the drawings are shared with othersof the drawings; for ease of discussion, a description of these elementsis not repeated, and these elements may take the form of any of theembodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 is a side, cross-sectional view of an antenna module 100, inaccordance with various embodiments. The antenna module 100 may includean IC package 108 coupled to an antenna board 102. Although a single ICpackage 108 is illustrated in FIG. 1, an antenna module 100 may includemore than one IC package 108 (e.g., as discussed below with reference toFIGS. 32-35). As discussed in further detail below, the antenna board102 may include conductive pathways (e.g., provided by conductive viasand lines through one or more dielectric materials) and radio frequency(RF) transmission structures (e.g., antenna feed structures, such asstriplines, microstriplines, or coplanar waveguides) that may enable oneor more antenna units 104 (not shown) to transmit and receiveelectromagnetic waves under the control of circuitry in the IC package108. In some embodiments, the IC package 108 may be coupled to theantenna board 102 by second-level interconnects (not shown, butdiscussed below with reference to FIG. 14). In some embodiments, atleast a portion of the antenna board 102 may be fabricated using printedcircuit board (PCB) technology, and may include between two and eightPCB layers. Examples of IC packages 108 and antenna boards 102 arediscussed in detail below. In some embodiments, an antenna module 100may include a different IC package 108 for controlling each differentantenna unit 104; in other embodiments, an antenna module 100 mayinclude one IC package 108 having circuitry to control multiple antennaunits 104. In some embodiments, the total z-height of an antenna module100 may be less than 3 millimeters (e.g., between 2 millimeters and 3millimeters).

FIGS. 2-4 are side, cross-sectional views of example antenna boards 102,in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a generalizedrepresentation of an example antenna board 102 including one or moreantenna units 104 coupled to an antenna patch support 110. In someembodiments, the antenna units 104 may be electrically coupled to theantenna patch support 110 by electrically conductive material pathwaysthrough the antenna patch support 110 that makes conductive contact withelectrically conductive material of the antenna units 104, while inother embodiments, the antenna units 104 may be mechanically coupled tothe antenna patch support 110 but may not be in contact with anelectrically conductive material pathway through the antenna patchsupport 110. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the antennapatch support 110 may be fabricated using PCB technology, and mayinclude between two and eight PCB layers. Although a particular numberof antenna units 104 is depicted in FIG. 2 (and others of theaccompanying drawings), this is simply illustrative, and an antennaboard 102 may include fewer or more antenna units 104. For example, anantenna board 102 may include four antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged ina linear array, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 27-29 and37), eight antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in one linear array, or twolinear arrays as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 33, 35, and36), sixteen antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in a 4×4 array, asdiscussed below with reference to FIGS. 32 and 34), or thirty-twoantenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in two 4×4 arrays, as discussed belowwith reference to FIGS. 32 and 34). In some embodiments, the antennaunits 104 may be surface mount components.

In some embodiments, an antenna module 100 may include one or morearrays of antenna units 104 to support multiple communication bands(e.g., dual band operation or tri-band operation). For example, some ofthe antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support tri-band operationat 28 gigahertz, 39 gigahertz, and 60 gigahertz. Various ones of theantenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support tri-band operation at24.5 gigahertz to 29 gigahertz, 37 gigahertz to 43 gigahertz, and 57gigahertz to 71 gigahertz. Various ones of the antenna modules 100disclosed herein may support 5G communications and 60 gigahertzcommunications. Various ones of the antenna modules 100 disclosed hereinmay support 28 gigahertz and 39 gigahertz communications. Various of theantenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support millimeter wavecommunications. Various of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein maysupport high band frequencies and low band frequencies.

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include an antenna unit104 coupled to an antenna patch support 110 by an adhesive. FIG. 3illustrates an antenna board 102 in which the antenna patch support 110includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., including between two and eight PCBlayers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 at one face ofthe circuit board 112, and an adhesive 106 at the opposite face of thecircuit board 112. As used herein, a “conductive contact” may refer to aportion of conductive material (e.g., metal) serving as an interfacebetween different components; conductive contacts may be recessed in,flush with, or extending away from a surface of a component, and maytake any suitable form (e.g., a conductive pad or socket). The circuitboard 112 may include traces, vias, and other structures, as known inthe art, formed of an electrically conductive material (e.g., a metal,such as copper). The conductive structures in the circuit board 112 maybe electrically insulated from each other by a dielectric material. Anysuitable dielectric material may be used (e.g., a laminate material). Insome embodiments, the dielectric material may be an organic dielectricmaterial, a fire retardant grade 4 material (FR-4), bismaleimidetriazine (BT) resin, polyimide materials, glass reinforced epoxy matrixmaterials, or low-k and ultra low-k dielectric (e.g., carbon-dopeddielectrics, fluorine-doped dielectrics, porous dielectrics, and organicpolymeric dielectrics).

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the antenna units 104 may be adhered to theadhesive 106. The adhesive 106 may be electrically non-conductive, andthus the antenna units 104 may not be electrically coupled to thecircuit board 112 by an electrically conductive material pathway. Insome embodiments, the adhesive 106 may be an epoxy. The thickness of theadhesive 106 may control the distance between the antenna units 104 andthe proximate face of the circuit board 112. When the antenna board 102of FIG. 3 (and others of the accompanying drawings) is used in anantenna module 100, an IC package 108 may be coupled to some of theconductive contacts 118. In some embodiments, a thickness of the circuitboard 112 of FIG. 3 may be less than 1 millimeter (e.g., between 0.35millimeters and 0.5 millimeters). In some embodiments, a thickness of anantenna unit 104 may be less than 1 millimeter (e.g., between 0.4millimeters and 0.7 millimeters).

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include an antenna unit104 coupled to an antenna patch support 110 by solder. FIG. 4illustrates an antenna board 102 in which the antenna patch support 110includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., including between two and eight PCBlayers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 at one face ofthe circuit board 112, and a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts116 at the opposite face of the circuit board 112. The antenna units 104may be secured to the circuit board 112 by solder 122 (or othersecond-level interconnects) between conductive contacts 120 of theantenna units 104 and the conductive contacts 116. In some embodiments,the conductive contacts 116/solder 122/conductive contacts 120 mayprovide an electrically conductive material pathway through whichsignals may be transmitted to or from the antenna units 104. In otherembodiments, the conductive contacts 116/solder 122/conductive contacts120 may be used only for mechanical coupling between the antenna units104 and the antenna patch support 110. The height of the solder 122 (orother interconnects) may control the distance between the antenna units104 and the proximate face of the circuit board 112. FIG. 5 is a topview of an example antenna unit 104 that may be used in an antenna board102 like the antenna board 102 of FIG. 4, in accordance with variousembodiments. The antenna unit 104 of FIG. 5 may have a number ofconductive contacts 120 distributed regularly on one face, close to theedges; other antenna units 104 with conductive contacts 120 may haveother arrangements of the conductive contacts 120.

In some embodiments, an antenna board may include an antenna unit 104coupled to a bridge structure. FIG. 6 illustrates an antenna board 102in which the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112(e.g., including between two and eight PCB layers), a solder resist 114and conductive contacts 118 at one face of the circuit board 112, and abridge structure 124 secured to the opposite face of the circuit board112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104coupled to an interior face of the bridge structure 124, and one or moreantenna units 104 coupled to an exterior face of the bridge structure124. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the antenna units 104 are coupled tothe bridge structures 124 by an adhesive 106. In the embodiment of FIG.6, the bridge structure 124 may be coupled to the circuit board 112 byan adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106 and the dimensions ofthe bridge structure 124 (i.e., the distance between the interior faceand the proximate face of the circuit board 112, and the thickness ofthe bridge structure 124 between the interior face and the exteriorface) may control the distance between the antenna units 104 and theproximate face of the circuit board 112 (including the distance betweenthe “interior” antenna units 104 and the “exterior” antenna units 104).The bridge structure 124 may be formed of any suitable material; forexample, the bridge structure 124 may be formed of a non-conductiveplastic. In some embodiments, the bridge structure 124 of FIG. 6 may bemanufactured using three-dimensional printing techniques. In someembodiments, the bridge structure 124 of FIG. 6 may be manufactured as aPCB with a recess defining the interior face (e.g., using recessed boardmanufacturing technology). In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the bridgestructure 124 may introduce an air cavity 149 between the antenna units104 and the circuit board 112, enhancing the bandwidth of the antennamodule 100.

FIG. 7 illustrates an antenna board 102 similar to the antenna board 102of FIG. 6, but in which the bridge structure 124 is curved (e.g., hasthe shape of an arch). Such a bridge structure 124 may be formed from aflexible plastic or other material, for example. In the antenna board102 of FIG. 7, the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board112 (e.g., including between two and eight PCB layers), a solder resist114 and conductive contacts 118 at one face of the circuit board 112,and a bridge structure 124 secured to the opposite face of the circuitboard 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units104 coupled to an interior face of the bridge structure 124, and one ormore antenna units 104 coupled to an exterior face of the bridgestructure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the antenna units 104 arecoupled to the bridge structures 124 by an adhesive 106. In theembodiment of FIG. 6, the bridge structure 124 may be coupled to thecircuit board 112 by an adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106and the dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the distancebetween the interior face and the proximate face of the circuit board112, and the thickness of the bridge structure 124 between the interiorface and the exterior face) may control the distance between the antennaunits 104 and the proximate face of the circuit board 112 (including thedistance between the “interior” antenna units 104 and the “exterior”antenna units 104). The bridge structure 124 of FIG. 7 may be formed ofany suitable material; for example, the bridge structure 124 may beformed of a non-conductive plastic. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, thebridge structure 124 may introduce an air cavity 149 between the antennaunits 104 and the circuit board 112, enhancing the bandwidth of theantenna module 100.

FIG. 8 illustrates an antenna board 102 similar to the antenna board 102of FIGS. 6 and 7, but in which the bridge structure 124 is itself aplanar circuit board or other structure with conductive contacts 126;the bridge structure 124 may be coupled to the circuit board 112 bysolder 122 (or other interconnects) between the conductive contacts 126and the conductive contacts 116 on the circuit board 112. In the antennaboard 102 of FIG. 8, the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuitboard 112 (e.g., including between two and eight PCB layers), a solderresist 114 and conductive contacts 118 at one face of the circuit board112, and a bridge structure 124 secured to the opposite face of thecircuit board 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antennaunits 104 coupled to an interior face of the bridge structure 124, andone or more antenna units 104 coupled to an exterior face of the bridgestructure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the antenna units 104 arecoupled to the bridge structures 124 by an adhesive 106. The thicknessof the adhesive 106, the height of the solder 122, and the dimensions ofthe bridge structure 124 (i.e., the thickness of the bridge structure124 between the interior face and the exterior face) may control thedistance between the antenna units 104 and the proximate face of thecircuit board 112 (including the distance between the “interior” antennaunits 104 and the “exterior” antenna units 104). The bridge structure124 of FIG. 8 may be formed of any suitable material; for example, thebridge structure 124 may be formed of a non-conductive plastic or a PCB.In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the bridge structure 124 may introduce anair cavity 149 between the antenna units 104 and the circuit board 112,enhancing the bandwidth of the antenna module 100.

FIG. 9 illustrates an antenna board 102 similar to the antenna board 102of FIG. 8, but in which the bridge structure 124 is itself a planarcircuit board or other structure, and the bridge structure 124 and theantenna units 104 coupled thereto are all coupled to the circuit board112 by an adhesive 106. In the antenna board 102 of FIG. 9, the antennapatch support 110 includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., including betweentwo and eight PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts118 at one face of the circuit board 112, and a bridge structure 124secured to the opposite face of the circuit board 112. The bridgestructure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104 coupled to aninterior face of the bridge structure 124, and one or more antenna units104 coupled to an exterior face of the bridge structure 124. In theembodiment of FIG. 9, the antenna units 104 are coupled to the bridgestructures 124 by an adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106 andthe dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the thickness of thebridge structure 124 between the interior face and the exterior face)may control the distance between the antenna units 104 and the proximateface of the circuit board 112 (including the distance between the“interior” antenna units 104 and the “exterior” antenna units 104). Thebridge structure 124 of FIG. 9 may be formed of any suitable material;for example, the bridge structure 124 may be formed of a non-conductiveplastic or a PCB. In some embodiments, the circuit board 112 may be a1-2-1 cored board, and the bridge structure 124 may be a 0-2-0 coredboard. In some embodiments, the circuit board 112 may use a dielectricmaterial different from a dielectric material of the bridge structure124 (e.g., the bridge structure 124 may include polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) or a PTFE-based formula), and the circuit board 112 may includeanother dielectric material).

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include recesses “above”the antenna patches 104 to provide an air cavity 149 between the antennapatches 104 and other portions of the antenna board 102. FIG. 10illustrates an antenna board 102 similar to the antenna board 102 ofFIG. 3, but in which the circuit board 112 includes recesses 130positioned “above” each of the antenna units 104. These recesses 130 mayprovide air cavitys 149 between the antenna units 104 and the rest ofthe antenna board 102, which may improve performance. In the embodimentof FIG. 10, the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112(e.g., including between two and eight PCB layers), a solder resist 114and conductive contacts 118 at one face of the circuit board 112, and anadhesive 106 at the opposite face of the circuit board 112. The antennaunits 104 may be adhered to the adhesive 106. The adhesive 106 may beelectrically non-conductive, and thus the antenna units 104 may not beelectrically coupled to the circuit board 112 by an electricallyconductive material pathway. In some embodiments, the adhesive 106 maybe an epoxy. The thickness of the adhesive 106 may control the distancebetween the antenna units 104 and the proximate face of the circuitboard 112. In some embodiments, the recesses 130 may have a depthbetween 200 microns and 400 microns.

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include recesses that arenot “above” the antenna patches 104, but that are located between theattachment locations of different ones of the antenna units 104 to thecircuit board 112. For example, FIG. 11 illustrates an antenna board 102similar to the antenna board 102 of FIG. 10, but in which the circuitboard 112 includes additional recesses 132 positioned “between” each ofthe antenna units 104. These recesses 132 may help isolate differentones of the antenna units 104 from each other, thereby improvingperformance. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the antenna patch support 110includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., including between two and eight PCBlayers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 at one face ofthe circuit board 112, and an adhesive 106 at the opposite face of thecircuit board 112. The antenna units 104 may be adhered to the adhesive106. The adhesive 106 may be electrically non-conductive, and thus theantenna units 104 may not be electrically coupled to the circuit board112 by an electrically conductive material pathway. In some embodiments,the adhesive 106 may be an epoxy. The thickness of the adhesive 106 maycontrol the distance between the antenna units 104 and the proximateface of the circuit board 112. In some embodiments, the recesses 132 mayhave a depth between 200 microns and 400 microns. In some embodiments,the recesses 132 may be through-holes (i.e., the recesses 132 may extendall the way through the circuit board 112).

Any suitable antenna structures may provide the antenna units 104 of anantenna module 100. In some embodiments, an antenna unit 104 may includeone, two, three, or more antenna layers. For example, FIGS. 12 and 13are side, cross-sectional views of example antenna units 104, inaccordance with various embodiments. In FIG. 12, the antenna unit 104includes one antenna patch 172, while in FIG. 13, the antenna unit 104includes two antenna patches 172 spaced apart by an interveningstructure 174.

The IC package 108 included in an antenna module 100 may have anysuitable structure. For example, FIG. 14 illustrates an example ICpackage 108 that may be included in an antenna module 100. The ICpackage 108 may include a package substrate 134 to which one or morecomponents 136 may be coupled by first-level interconnects 150. Inparticular, conductive contacts 146 at one face of the package substrate134 may be coupled to conductive contacts 148 at faces of the components136 by first-level interconnects 150. The first-level interconnects 150illustrated in FIG. 14 are solder bumps, but any suitable first-levelinterconnects 150 may be used. A solder resist 114 may be disposedaround the conductive contacts 146. The package substrate 134 mayinclude a dielectric material, and may have conductive pathways (e.g.,including conductive vias and lines) extending through the dielectricmaterial between the faces, or between different locations on each face.In some embodiments, the package substrate 134 may have a thickness lessthan 1 millimeter (e.g., between 0.1 millimeters and 0.5 millimeters).Conductive contacts 144 may be disposed at the other face of the packagesubstrate 134, and second-level interconnects 142 may couple theseconductive contacts 144 to the antenna board 102 (not shown) in anantenna module 100. The second-level interconnects 142 illustrated inFIG. 14 are solder balls (e.g., for a ball grid array arrangement), butany suitable second-level interconnects 142 may be used (e.g., pins in apin grid array arrangement or lands in a land grid array arrangement). Asolder resist 114 may be disposed around the conductive contacts 144. Insome embodiments, a mold material 140 may be disposed around thecomponents 136 (e.g., between the components 136 and the packagesubstrate 134 as an underfill material). In some embodiments, athickness of the mold material may be less than 1 millimeter. Examplematerials that may be used for the mold material 140 include epoxy moldmaterials, as suitable. In some embodiments, a conformal shield 152 maybe disposed around the components 136 and the package substrate 134 toprovide electromagnetic shielding for the IC package 108.

The components 136 may include any suitable IC components. In someembodiments, one or more of the components 136 may include a die. Forexample, one or more of the components 136 may be a RF communicationdie. In some embodiments, one or more of the components 136 may includea resistor, capacitor (e.g., decoupling capacitors), inductor, DC-DCconverter circuitry, or other circuit elements. In some embodiments, theIC package 108 may be a system-in-package (SiP). In some embodiments,the IC package 108 may be a flip chip (FC) chip scale package (CSP). Insome embodiments, one or more of the components 136 may include a memorydevice programmed with instructions to execute beam forming, scanning,and/or codebook functions.

In some embodiments, a package substrate 134 of an IC package 108 in anantenna module 100 may include one or more recesses 143. For example,FIG. 15 illustrates an IC package 108 like the IC package 108 of FIG.14, but in which the package substrate 134 includes a recess 143. Abottom surface 147 of the recess 143 may be provided by solid materialof the package substrate 134. One or more antenna units 104 may bepositioned “over” a recess 143 so that an air cavity 149 is presentbetween the one or more antenna units 104 and solid material of thepackage substrate 134. A number of examples of such embodiments arediscussed below with reference to FIGS. 15-20. In these figures, asingle recess 143 is shown for ease of illustration, but any of the ICpackages 108 disclosed herein may include multiple recesses 143 in theirpackage substrates 134. For example, a single IC package 108 may includea package substrate 134 with multiple different recesses 143 over whichcorresponding different antenna boards 102 may be mounted. In anotherexample, a single IC package 108 may include a package substrate 134with multiple different recesses 143 and a single antenna board 102having multiple different sets of one or more antenna units 104 may bemounted to the IC package 108 so that different sets of one or moreantenna units 104 is mounted over different ones of the recesses 143.Any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may include recesses 143in the package substrate 134, and any of the antenna boards 102disclosed herein, in any combination. A recess 143 may be formed in apackage substrate 134 in any suitable manner (e.g., viathree-dimensional printing, laser cutting or drilling the recess 143into an existing package substrate, etc.).

FIG. 16 illustrates an antenna module 100 in which the package substrate134 of the IC package 108 includes a recess 143, and the antenna board102 coupled to the IC package 108 includes two antenna units 104 (whichmay themselves each be a single antenna patch 179). An air cavity 149-1may be present between the antenna units 104 and the bottom surface 147of the recess 143. Further, the antenna units 104 of the antenna board102 may have an air cavity 149-2 therebetween. In some embodiments, thetop and bottom faces of the antenna board 102 may include openings 141to act as vent holes between the air cavity 149-2 and the externalenvironment.

Any suitable technique may be used to manufacture antenna board 102 likethe antenna board 102 illustrated in FIG. 16; an example process flow isillustrated in FIG. 17. In particular, FIGS. 17A-17D illustrate variousstages in the manufacture of the antenna board 102 of FIG. 16, inaccordance with various embodiments. Although the operations of FIG. 17may be illustrated with reference to particular embodiments of theantenna boards 102 disclosed herein, these operations may be used tomanufacture any suitable antenna boards 102. Operations are illustratedonce each and in a particular order in FIG. 17, but the operations maybe reordered and/or repeated as desired (e.g., with different operationsperformed in parallel when manufacturing multiple antenna boards 102simultaneously).

FIG. 17A is a side, cross-sectional view of an assembly 200 including afirst board portion 151. An antenna unit 104 may be mounted (e.g., viasolder or an adhesive) to the first board portion 151; in otherembodiments, the antenna unit 104 may be mounted at a later stage. Thefirst board portion 151 may be a PCB, a plastic component, or mayinclude any suitable material.

FIG. 17B is a side, cross-sectional view of an assembly 202 subsequentto forming a recess 145 in the first board portion 151 of the assembly200 (FIG. 17A), and then bringing a second board portion 153 intoproximity with the first board portion 151. An antenna unit 104 may bemounted (e.g., via solder or an adhesive) to the second board portion153; in other embodiments, the antenna unit 104 may be mounted to thesecond board portion 153 at a later stage. In some embodiments, therecess 145 may be formed by mechanical drilling (e.g., landing on ametal plane when the first board portion 151 is a PCB). In someembodiments, the first board portion 151 may be manufactured (e.g., bythree-dimensional printing) in the form illustrated in FIG. 17B, andthus no recess 145 need be separately formed.

FIG. 17C is a side, cross-sectional view of an assembly 204 subsequentto coupling the second board portion 153 and the first board portion 151of the assembly 202 (FIG. 17B) together to form an initial patch support157. The coupling of the second board portion 153 and the first boardportion 151 may be performed using any suitable technique (e.g., gluing,soldering, laminating, etc.).

FIG. 17D is a side, cross-sectional view of an assembly 206 subsequentto forming openings 141 in the top and bottom faces of the initial patchsupport 157 of the assembly 204 (FIG. 17C) to form the antenna patchsupport 110. The openings 141 may provide an air hole for venting theinterior of the antenna board 102.

FIG. 18 illustrates another example of an antenna module 100 in whichthe package substrate 134 of the IC package 108 includes a recess 143.In the embodiment of FIG. 18, the antenna board 102 coupled to the ICpackage 108 includes multiple antenna patches 179, providing an antennaunit 104. An air cavity 149 may be present between the antenna unit 104and the bottom surface 147 of the recess 143. The antenna patches 179 ofFIG. 18 may be embedded in solid material of the antenna patch support110. For example, in embodiments in which the antenna patch support 110includes a PCB, the antenna patches 179 may be portions of metallizationlayers in the antenna patch support 110 (with solid dielectric materialtherebetween). Although four antenna patches 179 are illustrated in FIG.18, an antenna board 102 may include any suitable number of antennapatches 179, as discussed herein.

In some embodiments, an antenna unit 104 of an antenna board 102 mayextend into the recess 143 of a package substrate 134, while in otherembodiments, the antenna unit 104 may not extend into the recess 143.For example, FIG. 19 illustrates an example of an antenna module 100 inwhich the package substrate 134 of the IC package 108 includes a recess143. In the embodiment of FIG. 18, the antenna board 102 coupled to theIC package 108 includes an antenna unit 104 that is secured in anopening in the antenna patch support 110 by an adhesive 106 (e.g., anepoxy). The antenna unit 104 of FIG. 19 may extend into the recess 143of the package substrate 134, and an air cavity 149 may be presentbetween the antenna unit 104 and the bottom surface 147 of the recess143. FIG. 20 illustrates an antenna module 100 similar to that of FIG.19, but in which the antenna unit 104 does not extend into the recess143.

In an antenna module 100 that includes multiple antenna units 104, thesemultiple antenna units 104 may be arranged in any suitable manner. Forexample, FIGS. 21 and 22 are bottom views of example arrangements ofantenna units 104 in an antenna board 102, in accordance with variousembodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 21, the antenna units 104 arearranged in a linear array in the x-direction, and the x-axes of each ofthe antenna units 104 (indicated in FIG. 21 by small arrows proximate toeach antenna unit 104) are aligned with the axis of the linear array. Inother embodiments, the antenna units 104 may be arranged so that one ormore of their axes are not aligned with the direction of the array. Forexample, FIG. 22 illustrates an embodiment in which the antenna units104 are distributed in a linear array in the x-direction, but theantenna units 104 have been rotated in the x-y plane (relative to theembodiment of FIG. 21) so that the x-axis of each of the antenna units104 is not aligned with the axis of the linear array. In anotherexample, FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment in which the antenna units104 are distributed in a linear array in the x-direction, but theantenna patches have been rotated in the x-z plane (relative to theembodiment of FIG. 21) so that the x-axis of each of the antenna units104 is not aligned with the axis of the linear array. In the embodimentof FIG. 23, the antenna patch support 110 may include an antenna patchfixture 164 that may maintain the antenna units 104 at the desiredangle. In some embodiments, the “rotations” of FIGS. 22 and 23 may becombined so that an antenna unit 104 is rotated in both the x-y and thex-z plane when the antenna unit 104 is part of a linear arraydistributed in the x-direction. In some embodiments, some but not all ofthe antenna units 104 in a linear array may be “rotated” relative to theaxis of the array. Rotating an antenna unit 104 relative to thedirection of the array may reduce patch-to-patch coupling (by reducingthe constructive addition of resonant currents between antenna units104), improving the impedance bandwidth and the beam steering range. Thearrangements of FIGS. 21-23 (and combinations of such arrangements) isreferred to herein as the antenna units 104 being “rotationally offset”from the linear array.

Although FIGS. 21-23 illustrate multiple antenna units 104 mounted on acommon antenna patch support 110 in a single antenna board 102, therotationally offset arrangements of FIGS. 21-23 may also be utilizedwhen multiple antenna units 104 are divided among different antennaboards 102. For example, in an embodiment in which multiple differentantenna boards 102 are mounted to a common IC package 108 (e.g., asdiscussed below with reference to FIG. 41), the antenna units 104 ineach of the different antenna boards 102 may together provide a lineararray, and may be rotationally offset from that linear array.

The antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may be included in any suitablecommunication device (e.g., a computing device with wirelesscommunication capability, a wearable device with wireless communicationcircuitry, etc.). FIG. 24 is a side, cross-sectional view of a portionof a communication device 151 including an antenna module 100, inaccordance with various embodiments. In particular, the communicationdevice 151 illustrated in FIG. 24 may be a handheld communicationdevice, such as a smart phone or tablet. The communication device 151may include a glass or plastic back cover 176 proximate to a metallic orplastic chassis 178. In some embodiments, the chassis 178 may belaminated onto an inner face of the back cover 176, or attached to theback cover 176 with an adhesive. In some embodiments, the portion of thechassis 178 adjacent to the back cover 176 may have a thickness between0.1 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters; in some such embodiments, thisportion of the chassis 178 may be formed of metal. In some embodiments,the back cover 176 may have a thickness between 0.3 millimeters and 1.5millimeters; in some such embodiments, the back cover 176 may be formedof glass. The chassis 178 may include one or more windows 181 that alignwith antenna units 104 (not shown) of the antenna module 100 to improveperformance. An air cavity 180-1 may space at least some of the antennamodule 100 from the air cavity back cover 176. In some embodiments, theheight of the air cavity 180-1 may be between 0.5 millimeters and 3millimeters. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be mountedto a face of a circuit board 101 (e.g., a motherboard), and othercomponents 129 (e.g., other IC packages) may be mounted to the oppositeface of the circuit board 101. In some embodiments, the circuit board101 may have a thickness between 0.2 millimeters and 1 millimeter (e.g.,between 0.3 millimeters and 0.5 millimeters). Another air cavity 180-2may be located between the circuit board 101 and a display 182 (e.g., atouch screen display). In other embodiments, an antenna module 100 maynot be mounted to a circuit board 101; instead, the antenna module 100may be secured directly to the chassis 178 (e.g., as discussed below).In some embodiments, the spacing between the antenna units 104 (notshown) of the antenna module 100 and the back cover 176 may be selectedand controlled within tens of microns to achieve desired performance.The air cavity 180-2 may separate the antenna module 100 from thedisplay 182 on the front side of the communication device 151; in someembodiments, the display 182 may have a metal layer proximate to the aircavity 180-2 to draw heat away from the display 182. A metal or plastichousing 184 may provide the “sides” of the communication device 151.

The antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may be secured in acommunication device in any desired manner. For example, as noted above,in some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be secured to thechassis 178. A number of the embodiments discussed below refer tofixtures that secure an antenna module 100 (or an antenna board 102, forease of illustration) to the chassis 178 of a communication device, butany of the fixtures discussed below may be used to secure an antennamodule 100 to any suitable portion of a communication device.

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include cutouts that maybe used to secure the antenna board 102 to a chassis 178. For example,FIG. 25 is a top view of an example antenna board 102 including twocutouts 154 at either longitudinal end of the antenna board 102. Theantenna board 102 of FIG. 25 may be part of an antenna module 100, butonly the antenna board 102 is depicted in FIG. 25 for ease ofillustration. FIG. 26 is a side, cross-sectional view of the antennaboard 102 of FIG. 25 coupled to an antenna board fixture 164, inaccordance with various embodiments. In particular, the antenna boardfixture 164 of FIG. 26 may include two assemblies at either longitudinalend of the antenna board 102. Each assembly may include a boss 160 (onor part of the chassis 178), a spacer 162 on the top surface of the boss160, and a screw 158 that extends through a hole in the spacer 162 andscrews into threads in the boss 160. The antenna board 102 may beclamped between the spacer 162 and the top of the boss 160 by thetightened screw 158; the boss 160 may be at least partially set in theproximate cutout 154. In some embodiments, the outer dimensions of theantenna board 102 of FIG. 25 may be approximately 5 millimeters byapproximately 38 millimeters.

In some embodiments, the screws 158 disclosed herein may be used todissipate heat generated by the antenna module 100 during operation. Inparticular, in some embodiments, the screws 158 may be formed of metal,and the boss 160 and the chassis 178 may also be metallic (or mayotherwise have a high thermal conductivity); during operation, heatgenerated by the antenna module 100 may travel away from the antennamodule 100 through the screws 158 and into the chassis 178, mitigatingor preventing an over-temperature condition. In some embodiments, athermal interface material (TIM), such as a thermal grease, may bepresent between the antenna board 102 and the screws 158/boss 160 toimprove thermal conductivity.

In some embodiments, the screws 158 disclosed herein may be used asadditional antennas for the antenna module 100. In some suchembodiments, the boss 160 (and other materials with which the screws 158come into contact) may be formed of plastic, ceramic, or anothernon-conducting material. The shape and location of the screws 158 may beselected so that the screws 158 act as antenna units 104 for the antennaboard 102.

An antenna board 102 may include other arrangements of cutouts. Forexample, FIG. 27 is a top view of an example antenna board 102 includinga cutout 154 at one longitudinal end and a hole 168 proximate to theother longitudinal end. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 27 may be part ofan antenna module 100, but only the antenna board 102 is depicted inFIG. 27 for ease of illustration. FIG. 28 is a side, cross-sectionalview of the antenna board 102 of FIG. 27 coupled to an antenna boardfixture 164, in accordance with various embodiments. In particular, theantenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 28 may include two assemblies ateither longitudinal end of the antenna board 102. The assembly proximateto the cutout 154 may include the boss 160/spacer 162/screw 158arrangement discussed above with reference to FIG. 26. The assemblyproximate to the hole 168 may include a pin 170 extending from thechassis 178. The antenna board 102 may be clamped between the spacer 162and the top of the boss 160 by the tightened screw 158 at onelongitudinal end (the boss 160 may be at least partially set in theproximate cutout 154), and the other longitudinal end may be preventedfrom moving in the x-y plane by the pin 170 in the hole 168.

In some embodiments, an antenna module 100 may be secured to acommunication device at one or more locations along the length of theantenna board 102, in addition to or instead of at the longitudinal endsof the antenna board 102. For example, FIGS. 29A and 29B are a top viewand a side, cross-sectional view, respectively, of an antenna board 102coupled to an antenna board fixture 164, in accordance with variousembodiments. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 29 may be part of an antennamodule 100, but only the antenna board 102 is depicted in FIG. 29 forease of illustration. In the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 29, aboss 160 (one or part of the chassis 178), a spacer 162 on the topsurface of the boss 160, and a screw 158 that extends through a hole inthe spacer 162 and screws into threads in the boss 160. The exterior ofthe boss 160 of FIG. 29 may have a square cross-section, and the spacer162 may have a square recess on its lower surface so as to partiallywrap around the boss 160 while being prevented from rotating around theboss 160. The antenna board 102 may be clamped between the spacer 162and the top of the boss 160 by the tightened screw 158. In someembodiments, the antenna board 102 may not have a cutout 154 along itslongitudinal length (as shown); while in other embodiments, the antennaboard 102 may have one or more cutouts 154 along its long edges.

In some embodiments, an antenna module 100 may be secured to a surfacein a communication device so that the antenna module 100 (e.g., an arrayof antenna units 104 in the antenna module) is not parallel to thesurface. Generally, the antenna units 104 may be positioned at anydesired angle relative to the chassis 178 or other elements of acommunication device. FIG. 30 illustrates an antenna board fixture 164in which the antenna board 102 may be held at an angle relative to theunderlying surface of the chassis 178. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 30may be part of an antenna module 100, but only the antenna board 102 isdepicted in FIG. 30 for ease of illustration. The antenna board fixture164 may be similar to the antenna board fixtures of FIGS. 26, 28, and29, but may include a boss 160 having an angled portion on which theantenna board 102 may rest. When the screw 158 is tightened, the antennaboard 102 may be held at a desired angle relative to the chassis 178.

The antenna boards 102, IC packages 108, and other elements disclosedherein may be arranged in any suitable manner in an antenna module 100.For example, an antenna module 100 may include one or more connectors105 for transmitting signals into and out of the antenna module 100.FIGS. 31-34 are exploded, perspective views of example antenna modules100, in accordance with various embodiments.

In the embodiment of FIG. 31, an antenna board 102 includes four antennaunits 104. These antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna board102 in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g.,with recesses 130/132, rotated relative to the axis of the array, on abridge structure 124, etc.). One or more connectors 105 may be disposedon the antenna board 102; these connectors 105 may be coaxial cableconnectors, as shown, or any other connectors (e.g., the flat cableconnectors discussed below with reference to FIGS. 35 and 36). Theconnectors 105 may be suitable for transmitting radio frequency (RF)signals, for example. The IC package 108 may include a package substrate134, one or more components 136 coupled to the package substrate 134,and a conformal shield 152 over the components 136 and the packagesubstrate 134. In some embodiments, the four antenna units 104 mayprovide a 1×4 array for 28/39 gigahertz communication, and a 1×8 arrayof 60 gigahertz dipoles.

In the embodiment of FIG. 32, an antenna board 102 includes two sets ofsixteen antenna units 104, each set arranged in a 4×4 array. Theseantenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna board 102 in accordancewith any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., with recesses130/132, rotated relative to the axis of the array, on a bridgestructure 124, etc.). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 32 includes two ICpackages 108; one IC package 108 associated with (and disposed over) oneset of antenna units 104, and the other IC package 108 associated with(and disposed over) the other set of antenna units 104. In someembodiments, one set of antenna units 104 may support 28 gigahertzcommunications, and the other set of antenna units 104 may support 39gigahertz communications. The IC package 108 may include a packagesubstrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to the packagesubstrate 134, and a conformal shield 152 over the components 136 andthe package substrate 134. One or more connectors 105 may be disposed onthe package substrate 134; these connectors 105 may be coaxial cableconnectors, as shown, or any other connectors (e.g., the flat cableconnectors discussed below with reference to FIGS. 35 and 36). Theconformal shields 152 may not extend over the connectors 105. In someembodiments, the antenna module 100 of FIG. 32 may be suitable for usein routers and customer premises equipment (CPE). In some embodiments,the outer dimensions of the antenna board 102 may be approximately 22millimeters by approximately 40 millimeters.

In the embodiment of FIG. 33, an antenna board 102 includes two sets offour antenna units 104, each set arranged in a 1×4 array. In someembodiments, one set of antenna units 104 may support 28 gigahertzcommunications, and the other set of antenna units 104 may support 39gigahertz communications. These antenna units 104 may be arranged in theantenna board 102 in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosedherein (e.g., with recesses 130/132, rotated relative to the axis of thearray, on a bridge structure 124, etc.). One or more connectors 105 maybe disposed on the antenna board 102; these connectors 105 may becoaxial cable connectors, as shown, or any other connectors (e.g., theflat cable connectors discussed below with reference to FIGS. 35 and36). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 33 includes two IC packages 108; oneIC package 108 associated with (and disposed over) one set of antennaunits 104, and the other IC package 108 associated with (and disposedover) the other set of antenna units 104. The IC package 108 may includea package substrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to thepackage substrate 134, and a conformal shield 152 over the components136 and the package substrate 134. In some embodiments, the outerdimensions of the antenna board 102 may be approximately 5 millimetersby approximately 32 millimeters.

In the embodiment of FIG. 34, an antenna board 102 includes two sets ofsixteen antenna units 104, each set arranged in a 4×4 array. Theseantenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna board 102 in accordancewith any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., with recesses130/132, rotated relative to the axis of the array, on a bridgestructure 124, etc.). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 34 includes four ICpackages 108; two IC packages 108 associated with (and disposed over)one set of antenna units 104, and the other two IC packages 108associated with (and disposed over) the other set of antenna units 104.The IC package 108 may include a package substrate 134, one or morecomponents 136 coupled to the package substrate 134, and a conformalshield (not shown) over the components 136 and the package substrate134. One or more connectors 105 may be disposed on the antenna board102; these connectors 105 may be coaxial cable connectors, as shown, orany other connectors (e.g., the flat cable connectors discussed belowwith reference to FIGS. 35 and 36).

FIGS. 35A and 35B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, ofanother example antenna module 100, in accordance with variousembodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 35, an antenna board 102 includestwo sets of four antenna units 104, each set arranged in a 1×4 array.These antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna board 102 inaccordance with any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., withrecesses 130/132, rotated relative to the axis of the array, on a bridgestructure 124, etc.). One or more connectors 105 may be disposed on theantenna board 102; these connectors 105 may be flat cable connectors(e.g., flexible printed circuit (FPC) cable connectors) to which a flatcable 196 may be coupled. The antenna module 100 of FIG. 33 includes twoIC packages 108; one IC package 108 associated with (and disposed over)one set of antenna units 104, and the other IC package 108 associatedwith (and disposed over) the other set of antenna units 104. The antennamodule 100 of FIG. 33 may also include cutouts 154 at eitherlongitudinal end; FIG. 35A illustrates the antenna module 100 secured bythe antenna board fixtures 164 of FIG. 26 (at either longitudinal end)and by the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 29 (in the middle). In someembodiments, the antenna units 104 of the antenna module 100 of FIG. 35may use the proximate edges of the antenna board 102 for vertical andhorizontal polarized edge fire antennas; in such an embodiment, theconformal shield 152 of the IC packages 108 may act as a reference. Moregenerally, the antenna units 104 disclosed herein may be used forbroadside or edge fire applications, as appropriate.

Any suitable communication device may include one or more of the antennamodules 100 disclosed herein. For example, FIG. 36 is a perspective viewof a handheld communication device 198 including an antenna module 100,in accordance with various embodiments. In particular, FIG. 36 depictsthe antenna module 100 (and associated antenna board fixtures 164) ofFIG. 35 coupled to a chassis 178 of the handheld communication device198 (which may be the communication device 151 of FIG. 24). In someembodiments, the handheld communication device 198 may be a smart phone.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of a laptop communication device 190including multiple antenna modules 100, in accordance with variousembodiments. In particular, FIG. 36 depicts an antenna module 100 havingfour antenna units 104 at either side of the keyboard of a laptopcommunication device 190. The antenna units 104 may occupy an area onthe outside housing of the laptop communication device 190 that isapproximately equal to or less than the area required for two adjacentUniversal Serial Bus (USB) connectors (i.e., approximately 5 millimeters(height) by 22 millimeters (width) by 2.2 millimeters (depth)). Theantenna module 100 of FIG. 37 may be tuned for operation in the housing(e.g., ABS plastic) of the device 190. In some embodiments, the antennamodules 100 in the device 190 may be tilted at a desired angle relativeto the housing of the device 190.

An antenna module 100 included in a communication device (e.g., fixedwireless access devices) may include an antenna array having any desirednumber of antenna units 104 (e.g., 4×8 antenna units 104).

Any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may include antennaboards 102 that have one or more narrowed portions that act as hinge(s)to allow the antenna module 100 to bend so that different sections ofthe antenna boards 102 are non-coplanar with each other. For example,FIGS. 38A and 38B illustrate antenna modules 100 having multiple ICpackages 108 disposed on an antenna board 102 (e.g., in accordance withany of the embodiments disclosed herein). The antenna board 102 includesan antenna patch support 110 on which multiple antenna units 104 aredisposed (e.g., in accordance with any of the embodiments disclosedherein) and which includes a narrowed portion 111. The material of thenarrowed portion 111 may have adequate flexibility to allow the antennapatch support 110 to bend at the narrowed portion (e.g., from an initialconfiguration as shown in FIG. 38A to a bent configuration as shown inFIG. 38B) to a desired angle without significant damage to the antennapatch support 110. The antenna module 100 may be mounted in anelectronic component (e.g., in the communication device 151) in its bentconfiguration (e.g., using any of the fixtures discussed above withreference to FIGS. 25-30 and 35-36), allowing the antenna units 104 ondifferent sections of the antenna board 102 to radiate and receive atdifferent angles, thereby increasing the range of coverage of the arrayof antenna units 104 relative to an embodiment in which the antennaunits 104 are all mounted on a single plane of an antenna patch support110.

In some embodiments, the narrowed portion 111 may be formed by sawing orotherwise cutting through an initial antenna patch support 110 until thedesired thickness of the narrowed portion 111 is reached; in otherembodiments, the antenna patch support 110 may be fabricated with thenarrowed portion 111 without any sawing or cutting required. AlthoughFIGS. 38A and 38B. illustrate a particular number of IC packages 180 andantenna units 104, this is simply for illustrative purposes, and any ofthe antenna boards 102 or antenna modules 100 disclosed herein mayinclude one or more narrowed portions 111 to allow multiple sections ofthe antenna board 102 to be oriented at different angles.

Although various ones of the accompanying drawings have illustrated theantenna board 102 as having a larger footprint than the IC package 108,the antenna board 102 and the IC package 108 (which may be, e.g., anSiP) may have any suitable relative dimensions. For example, in someembodiments, the footprint of the IC package 108 in an antenna module100 may be larger than the footprint of the antenna board 102. Suchembodiments may occur, for example, when the IC package 108 includesmultiple dies as the components 136. FIGS. 39-42 illustrate variousexamples of antenna modules 100 in which the footprint of the IC package108 is larger than the footprint of an antenna board 102.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 39, the face of the IC package 108to which the antenna board is attached may also have multiple connectors105 disposed thereon. These connectors 105 may extend past side faces ofthe antenna board 102, and may enable direct connection to the ICpackage 108 by cables 175 having connectors 171 that mate with theconnectors 105. The connectors 105 of FIGS. 39-42 may take any suitableform (e.g., coaxial cable connectors, the flat cable connectorsdiscussed below with reference to FIGS. 35 and 36, any of the otherforms disclosed herein, etc.).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 40, the antenna module 100 mayhave an asymmetric arrangement of the antenna board 102 and a connector105. Generally, an antenna module 100 may include any suitablearrangement of connectors 105 on the IC package 108 and/or the antennaboard 102 (as discussed above).

In some embodiments, an antenna module 100 may include multiple antennaboards 102. For example, FIG. 41 illustrates an embodiment in whichmultiple antenna boards 102 are coupled to a single IC package 108. FIG.41 also illustrates a connector 105 on the bottom face of the IC package108, but embodiments in which multiple antenna boards 102 are coupled toa single IC package 108 may include no connectors 105 on the IC package108, or one or more connectors 105 on the IC package 108.

In some embodiments, an antenna board 102 may include holes throughwhich connectors 105 on a face of the IC package 108 may be exposed, andcables 175 may couple to these connectors. For example, FIG. 42illustrates an embodiment in which an antenna board 102 has one or moreholes 173 therein; connectors 105 coupled to the bottom face of the ICpackage 108 may extend into the holes 173 (e.g., to couple with cables175 with mating connectors 171). Although FIG. 42 illustrates an antennamodule in which the antenna board 102 has a smaller footprint than theIC package 108, any of the antenna boards 102 disclosed herein mayinclude holes 173 through which connectors 105 coupled to the IC package108 may extend (e.g., antenna boards 102 having footprints that arelarger than an IC package 108).

The antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may include, or be included in,any suitable electronic component. FIGS. 43-46 illustrate variousexamples of apparatuses that may include, or be included in, any of theantenna modules 100 disclosed herein.

FIG. 43 is a top view of a wafer 1500 and dies 1502 that may be includedin any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. For example, a die1502 may be included in an IC package 108 (e.g., as a component 136) orin an antenna unit 104. The wafer 1500 may be composed of semiconductormaterial and may include one or more dies 1502 having IC structuresformed on a surface of the wafer 1500. Each of the dies 1502 may be arepeating unit of a semiconductor product that includes any suitable IC.After the fabrication of the semiconductor product is complete, thewafer 1500 may undergo a singulation process in which the dies 1502 areseparated from one another to provide discrete “chips” of thesemiconductor product. The die 1502 may include one or more transistors(e.g., some of the transistors 1640 of FIG. 44, discussed below) and/orsupporting circuitry to route electrical signals to the transistors, aswell as any other IC components. In some embodiments, the wafer 1500 orthe die 1502 may include a memory device (e.g., a random access memory(RAM) device, such as a static RAM (SRAM) device, a magnetic RAM (MRAM)device, a resistive RAM (RRAM) device, a conductive-bridging RAM (CBRAM)device, etc.), a logic device (e.g., an AND, OR, NAND, or NOR gate), orany other suitable circuit element. Multiple ones of these devices maybe combined on a single die 1502. For example, a memory array formed bymultiple memory devices may be formed on a same die 1502 as a processingdevice (e.g., the processing device 1802 of FIG. 46) or other logic thatis configured to store information in the memory devices or executeinstructions stored in the memory array.

FIG. 44 is a side, cross-sectional view of an IC device 1600 that may beincluded in any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. Forexample, an IC device 1600 may be included in an IC package 108 (e.g.,as a component 136). The IC device 1600 may be formed on a substrate1602 (e.g., the wafer 1500 of FIG. 43) and may be included in a die(e.g., the die 1502 of FIG. 43). The substrate 1602 may be asemiconductor substrate composed of semiconductor material systemsincluding, for example, n-type or p-type materials systems (or acombination of both). The substrate 1602 may include, for example, acrystalline substrate formed using a bulk silicon or asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substructure. In some embodiments, thesubstrate 1602 may be formed using alternative materials, which may ormay not be combined with silicon, that include but are not limited togermanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indiumphosphide, gallium arsenide, or gallium antimonide. Further materialsclassified as group II-VI, III-V, or IV may also be used to form thesubstrate 1602. Although a few examples of materials from which thesubstrate 1602 may be formed are described here, any material that mayserve as a foundation for an IC device 1600 may be used. The substrate1602 may be part of a singulated die (e.g., the dies 1502 of FIG. 43) ora wafer (e.g., the wafer 1500 of FIG. 43).

The IC device 1600 may include one or more device layers 1604 disposedon the substrate 1602. The device layer 1604 may include features of oneor more transistors 1640 (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field-effecttransistors (MOSFETs)) formed on the substrate 1602. The device layer1604 may include, for example, one or more source and/or drain (S/D)regions 1620, a gate 1622 to control current flow in the transistors1640 between the S/D regions 1620, and one or more S/D contacts 1624 toroute electrical signals to/from the S/D regions 1620. The transistors1640 may include additional features not depicted for the sake ofclarity, such as device isolation regions, gate contacts, and the like.The transistors 1640 are not limited to the type and configurationdepicted in FIG. 44 and may include a wide variety of other types andconfigurations such as, for example, planar transistors, non-planartransistors, or a combination of both. Planar transistors may includebipolar junction transistors (BJT), heterojunction bipolar transistors(HBT), or high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT). Non-planartransistors may include FinFET transistors, such as double-gatetransistors or tri-gate transistors, and wrap-around or all-around gatetransistors, such as nanoribbon and nanowire transistors.

Each transistor 1640 may include a gate 1622 formed of at least twolayers, a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. The gate dielectric mayinclude one layer or a stack of layers. The one or more layers mayinclude silicon oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon carbide, and/or a high-kdielectric material. The high-k dielectric material may include elementssuch as hafnium, silicon, oxygen, titanium, tantalum, lanthanum,aluminum, zirconium, barium, strontium, yttrium, lead, scandium,niobium, and zinc. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in thegate dielectric include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide, hafniumsilicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconiumoxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, bariumstrontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titaniumoxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, andlead zinc niobate. In some embodiments, an annealing process may becarried out on the gate dielectric to improve its quality when a high-kmaterial is used.

The gate electrode may be formed on the gate dielectric and may includeat least one p-type work function metal or n-type work function metal,depending on whether the transistor 1640 is to be a p-type metal oxidesemiconductor (PMOS) or an n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS)transistor. In some implementations, the gate electrode may consist of astack of two or more metal layers, where one or more metal layers arework function metal layers and at least one metal layer is a fill metallayer. Further metal layers may be included for other purposes, such asa barrier layer. For a PMOS transistor, metals that may be used for thegate electrode include, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium,platinum, cobalt, nickel, conductive metal oxides (e.g., rutheniumoxide), and any of the metals discussed below with reference to an NMOStransistor (e.g., for work function tuning). For an NMOS transistor,metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are notlimited to, hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, alloys ofthese metals, carbides of these metals (e.g., hafnium carbide, zirconiumcarbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and aluminum carbide), andany of the metals discussed above with reference to a PMOS transistor(e.g., for work function tuning).

In some embodiments, when viewed as a cross-section of the transistor1640 along the source-channel-drain direction, the gate electrode mayconsist of a U-shaped structure that includes a bottom portionsubstantially parallel to the surface of the substrate and two sidewallportions that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of thesubstrate. In other embodiments, at least one of the metal layers thatform the gate electrode may simply be a planar layer that issubstantially parallel to the top surface of the substrate and does notinclude sidewall portions substantially perpendicular to the top surfaceof the substrate. In other embodiments, the gate electrode may consistof a combination of U-shaped structures and planar, non-U-shapedstructures. For example, the gate electrode may consist of one or moreU-shaped metal layers formed atop one or more planar, non-U-shapedlayers.

In some embodiments, a pair of sidewall spacers may be formed onopposing sides of the gate stack to bracket the gate stack. The sidewallspacers may be formed from materials such as silicon nitride, siliconoxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride doped with carbon, and siliconoxynitride. Processes for forming sidewall spacers are well known in theart and generally include deposition and etching process steps. In someembodiments, a plurality of spacer pairs may be used; for instance, twopairs, three pairs, or four pairs of sidewall spacers may be formed onopposing sides of the gate stack.

The S/D regions 1620 may be formed within the substrate 1602 adjacent tothe gate 1622 of each transistor 1640. The S/D regions 1620 may beformed using an implantation/diffusion process or an etching/depositionprocess, for example. In the former process, dopants such as boron,aluminum, antimony, phosphorous, or arsenic may be ion-implanted intothe substrate 1602 to form the S/D regions 1620. An annealing processthat activates the dopants and causes them to diffuse farther into thesubstrate 1602 may follow the ion-implantation process. In the latterprocess, the substrate 1602 may first be etched to form recesses at thelocations of the S/D regions 1620. An epitaxial deposition process maythen be carried out to fill the recesses with material that is used tofabricate the S/D regions 1620. In some implementations, the S/D regions1620 may be fabricated using a silicon alloy such as silicon germaniumor silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the epitaxially depositedsilicon alloy may be doped in situ with dopants such as boron, arsenic,or phosphorous. In some embodiments, the S/D regions 1620 may be formedusing one or more alternate semiconductor materials such as germanium ora group III-V material or alloy. In further embodiments, one or morelayers of metal and/or metal alloys may be used to form the S/D regions1620.

Electrical signals, such as power and/or input/output (I/O) signals, maybe routed to and/or from the devices (e.g., the transistors 1640) of thedevice layer 1604 through one or more interconnect layers disposed onthe device layer 1604 (illustrated in FIG. 44 as interconnect layers1606-1610). For example, electrically conductive features of the devicelayer 1604 (e.g., the gate 1622 and the S/D contacts 1624) may beelectrically coupled with the interconnect structures 1628 of theinterconnect layers 1606-1610. The one or more interconnect layers1606-1610 may form a metallization stack (also referred to as an “ILDstack”) 1619 of the IC device 1600.

The interconnect structures 1628 may be arranged within the interconnectlayers 1606-1610 to route electrical signals according to a wide varietyof designs (in particular, the arrangement is not limited to theparticular configuration of interconnect structures 1628 depicted inFIG. 44). Although a particular number of interconnect layers 1606-1610is depicted in FIG. 44, embodiments of the present disclosure include ICdevices having more or fewer interconnect layers than depicted.

In some embodiments, the interconnect structures 1628 may include lines1628 a and/or vias 1628 b filled with an electrically conductivematerial such as a metal. The lines 1628 a may be arranged to routeelectrical signals in a direction of a plane that is substantiallyparallel with a surface of the substrate 1602 upon which the devicelayer 1604 is formed. For example, the lines 1628 a may route electricalsignals in a direction in and out of the page from the perspective ofFIG. 44. The vias 1628 b may be arranged to route electrical signals ina direction of a plane that is substantially perpendicular to thesurface of the substrate 1602 upon which the device layer 1604 isformed. In some embodiments, the vias 1628 b may electrically couplelines 1628 a of different interconnect layers 1606-1610 together.

The interconnect layers 1606-1610 may include a dielectric material 1626disposed between the interconnect structures 1628, as shown in FIG. 44.In some embodiments, the dielectric material 1626 disposed between theinterconnect structures 1628 in different ones of the interconnectlayers 1606-1610 may have different compositions; in other embodiments,the composition of the dielectric material 1626 between differentinterconnect layers 1606-1610 may be the same.

A first interconnect layer 1606 may be formed above the device layer1604. In some embodiments, the first interconnect layer 1606 may includelines 1628 a and/or vias 1628 b, as shown. The lines 1628 a of the firstinterconnect layer 1606 may be coupled with contacts (e.g., the S/Dcontacts 1624) of the device layer 1604.

A second interconnect layer 1608 may be formed above the firstinterconnect layer 1606. In some embodiments, the second interconnectlayer 1608 may include vias 1628 b to couple the lines 1628 a of thesecond interconnect layer 1608 with the lines 1628 a of the firstinterconnect layer 1606. Although the lines 1628 a and the vias 1628 bare structurally delineated with a line within each interconnect layer(e.g., within the second interconnect layer 1608) for the sake ofclarity, the lines 1628 a and the vias 1628 b may be structurally and/ormaterially contiguous (e.g., simultaneously filled during adual-damascene process) in some embodiments.

A third interconnect layer 1610 (and additional interconnect layers, asdesired) may be formed in succession on the second interconnect layer1608 according to similar techniques and configurations described inconnection with the second interconnect layer 1608 or the firstinterconnect layer 1606. In some embodiments, the interconnect layersthat are “higher up” in the metallization stack 1619 in the IC device1600 (i.e., farther away from the device layer 1604) may be thicker.

The IC device 1600 may include a solder resist material 1634 (e.g.,polyimide or similar material) and one or more conductive contacts 1636formed on the interconnect layers 1606-1610. In FIG. 44, the conductivecontacts 1636 are illustrated as taking the form of bond pads. Theconductive contacts 1636 may be electrically coupled with theinterconnect structures 1628 and configured to route the electricalsignals of the transistor(s) 1640 to other external devices. Forexample, solder bonds may be formed on the one or more conductivecontacts 1636 to mechanically and/or electrically couple a chipincluding the IC device 1600 with another component (e.g., a circuitboard). The IC device 1600 may include additional or alternatestructures to route the electrical signals from the interconnect layers1606-1610; for example, the conductive contacts 1636 may include otheranalogous features (e.g., posts) that route the electrical signals toexternal components.

FIG. 45 is a side, cross-sectional view of an IC device assembly 1700that may include one or more of the antenna modules 100 disclosedherein. In particular, any suitable ones of the antenna modules 100disclosed herein may take the place of any of the components of the ICdevice assembly 1700 (e.g., an antenna module 100 may take the place ofany of the IC packages of the IC device assembly 1700).

The IC device assembly 1700 includes a number of components disposed ona circuit board 1702 (which may be, e.g., a motherboard). The IC deviceassembly 1700 includes components disposed on a first face 1740 of thecircuit board 1702 and an opposing second face 1742 of the circuit board1702; generally, components may be disposed on one or both faces 1740and 1742.

In some embodiments, the circuit board 1702 may be a PCB includingmultiple metal layers separated from one another by layers of dielectricmaterial and interconnected by electrically conductive vias. Any one ormore of the metal layers may be formed in a desired circuit pattern toroute electrical signals (optionally in conjunction with other metallayers) between the components coupled to the circuit board 1702. Inother embodiments, the circuit board 1702 may be a non-PCB substrate.

The IC device assembly 1700 illustrated in FIG. 45 includes apackage-on-interposer structure 1736 coupled to the first face 1740 ofthe circuit board 1702 by coupling components 1716. The couplingcomponents 1716 may electrically and mechanically couple thepackage-on-interposer structure 1736 to the circuit board 1702, and mayinclude solder balls (as shown in FIG. 45), male and female portions ofa socket, an adhesive, an underfill material, and/or any other suitableelectrical and/or mechanical coupling structure.

The package-on-interposer structure 1736 may include an IC package 1720coupled to an interposer 1704 by coupling components 1718. The couplingcomponents 1718 may take any suitable form for the application, such asthe forms discussed above with reference to the coupling components1716. Although a single IC package 1720 is shown in FIG. 45, multiple ICpackages may be coupled to the interposer 1704; indeed, additionalinterposers may be coupled to the interposer 1704. The interposer 1704may provide an intervening substrate used to bridge the circuit board1702 and the IC package 1720. The IC package 1720 may be or include, forexample, a die (the die 1502 of FIG. 43), an IC device (e.g., the ICdevice 1600 of FIG. 44), or any other suitable component. Generally, theinterposer 1704 may spread a connection to a wider pitch or reroute aconnection to a different connection. For example, the interposer 1704may couple the IC package 1720 (e.g., a die) to a set of ball grid array(BGA) conductive contacts of the coupling components 1716 for couplingto the circuit board 1702. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 45, theIC package 1720 and the circuit board 1702 are attached to opposingsides of the interposer 1704; in other embodiments, the IC package 1720and the circuit board 1702 may be attached to a same side of theinterposer 1704. In some embodiments, three or more components may beinterconnected by way of the interposer 1704.

In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be formed as a PCB,including multiple metal layers separated from one another by layers ofdielectric material and interconnected by electrically conductive vias.In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be formed of an epoxyresin, a fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin, an epoxy resin withinorganic fillers, a ceramic material, or a polymer material such aspolyimide. In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be formed ofalternate rigid or flexible materials that may include the samematerials described above for use in a semiconductor substrate, such assilicon, germanium, and other group III-V and group IV materials. Theinterposer 1704 may include metal interconnects 1708 and vias 1710,including but not limited to through-silicon vias (TSVs) 1706. Theinterposer 1704 may further include embedded devices 1714, includingboth passive and active devices. Such devices may include, but are notlimited to, capacitors, decoupling capacitors, resistors, inductors,fuses, diodes, transformers, sensors, electrostatic discharge (ESD)devices, and memory devices. More complex devices such as RF devices,power amplifiers, power management devices, antennas, arrays, sensors,and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices may also be formed onthe interposer 1704. The package-on-interposer structure 1736 may takethe form of any of the package-on-interposer structures known in theart.

The IC device assembly 1700 may include an IC package 1724 coupled tothe first face 1740 of the circuit board 1702 by coupling components1722. The coupling components 1722 may take the form of any of theembodiments discussed above with reference to the coupling components1716, and the IC package 1724 may take the form of any of theembodiments discussed above with reference to the IC package 1720.

The IC device assembly 1700 illustrated in FIG. 45 includes apackage-on-package structure 1734 coupled to the second face 1742 of thecircuit board 1702 by coupling components 1728. The package-on-packagestructure 1734 may include an IC package 1726 and an IC package 1732coupled together by coupling components 1730 such that the IC package1726 is disposed between the circuit board 1702 and the IC package 1732.The coupling components 1728 and 1730 may take the form of any of theembodiments of the coupling components 1716 discussed above, and the ICpackages 1726 and 1732 may take the form of any of the embodiments ofthe IC package 1720 discussed above. The package-on-package structure1734 may be configured in accordance with any of the package-on-packagestructures known in the art.

FIG. 46 is a block diagram of an example communication device 1800 thatmay include one or more antenna modules 100, in accordance with any ofthe embodiments disclosed herein. The communication device 151 (FIG.24), the handheld communication device 198 (FIG. 36), and the laptopcommunication device 190 (FIG. 37) may be examples of the communicationdevice 1800. Any suitable ones of the components of the communicationdevice 1800 may include one or more of the IC packages 1650, IC devices1600, or dies 1502 disclosed herein. A number of components areillustrated in FIG. 46 as included in the communication device 1800, butany one or more of these components may be omitted or duplicated, assuitable for the application. In some embodiments, some or all of thecomponents included in the communication device 1800 may be attached toone or more motherboards. In some embodiments, some or all of thesecomponents are fabricated onto a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) die.

Additionally, in various embodiments, the communication device 1800 maynot include one or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 46, butthe communication device 1800 may include interface circuitry forcoupling to the one or more components. For example, the communicationdevice 1800 may not include a display device 1806, but may includedisplay device interface circuitry (e.g., a connector and drivercircuitry) to which a display device 1806 may be coupled. In another setof examples, the communication device 1800 may not include an audioinput device 1824 or an audio output device 1808, but may include audioinput or output device interface circuitry (e.g., connectors andsupporting circuitry) to which an audio input device 1824 or audiooutput device 1808 may be coupled.

The communication device 1800 may include a processing device 1802(e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term“processing device” or “processor” may refer to any device or portion ofa device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory totransform that electronic data into other electronic data that may bestored in registers and/or memory. The processing device 1802 mayinclude one or more digital signal processors (DSPs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processingunits (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), cryptoprocessors(specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms withinhardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices.The communication device 1800 may include a memory 1804, which mayitself include one or more memory devices such as volatile memory (e.g.,dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), nonvolatile memory (e.g.,read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, solid state memory, and/or a harddrive. In some embodiments, the memory 1804 may include memory thatshares a die with the processing device 1802. This memory may be used ascache memory and may include embedded dynamic random access memory(eDRAM) or spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory(STT-MRAM).

In some embodiments, the communication device 1800 may include acommunication module 1812 (e.g., one or more communication modules). Forexample, the communication module 1812 may be configured for managingwireless communications for the transfer of data to and from thecommunication device 1800. The term “wireless” and its derivatives maybe used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques,communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the useof modulated electromagnetic radiation through a nonsolid medium. Theterm does not imply that the associated devices do not contain anywires, although in some embodiments they might not. The communicationmodule 1812 may be, or may include, any of the antenna modules 100disclosed herein.

The communication module 1812 may implement any of a number of wirelessstandards or protocols, including but not limited to Institute forElectrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards including Wi-Fi(IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005Amendment), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) project along with any amendments,updates, and/or revisions (e.g., advanced LTE project, ultra mobilebroadband (UMB) project (also referred to as “3GPP2”), etc.). IEEE802.16 compatible Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks are generallyreferred to as WiMAX networks, an acronym that stands for WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access, which is a certification mark forproducts that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE802.16 standards. The communication module 1812 may operate inaccordance with a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTEnetwork. The communication module 1812 may operate in accordance withEnhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network(GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or EvolvedUTRAN (E-UTRAN). The communication module 1812 may operate in accordancewith Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT),Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and derivatives thereof, as well asany other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, andbeyond. The communication module 1812 may operate in accordance withother wireless protocols in other embodiments. The communication device1800 may include an antenna 1822 to facilitate wireless communicationsand/or to receive other wireless communications (such as AM or FM radiotransmissions).

In some embodiments, the communication module 1812 may manage wiredcommunications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitablecommunication protocols (e.g., the Ethernet). As noted above, thecommunication module 1812 may include multiple communication modules.For instance, a first communication module 1812 may be dedicated toshorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and asecond communication module 1812 may be dedicated to longer-rangewireless communications such as global positioning system (GPS), EDGE,GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, or others. In some embodiments, a firstcommunication module 1812 may be dedicated to wireless communications,and a second communication module 1812 may be dedicated to wiredcommunications. In some embodiments, the communication module 1812 mayinclude an antenna module 100 that supports millimeter wavecommunication.

The communication device 1800 may include battery/power circuitry 1814.The battery/power circuitry 1814 may include one or more energy storagedevices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and/or circuitry for couplingcomponents of the communication device 1800 to an energy source separatefrom the communication device 1800 (e.g., AC line power).

The communication device 1800 may include a display device 1806 (orcorresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The displaydevice 1806 may include any visual indicators, such as a heads-updisplay, a computer monitor, a projector, a touchscreen display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode display, or a flatpanel display.

The communication device 1800 may include an audio output device 1808(or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audiooutput device 1808 may include any device that generates an audibleindicator, such as speakers, headsets, or earbuds.

The communication device 1800 may include an audio input device 1824 (orcorresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio inputdevice 1824 may include any device that generates a signalrepresentative of a sound, such as microphones, microphone arrays, ordigital instruments (e.g., instruments having a musical instrumentdigital interface (MIDI) output).

The communication device 1800 may include a GPS device 1818 (orcorresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The GPS device1818 may be in communication with a satellite-based system and mayreceive a location of the communication device 1800, as known in theart.

The communication device 1800 may include an other output device 1810(or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples ofthe other output device 1810 may include an audio codec, a video codec,a printer, a wired or wireless transmitter for providing information toother devices, or an additional storage device.

The communication device 1800 may include an other input device 1820 (orcorresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of theother input device 1820 may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, acompass, an image capture device, a keyboard, a cursor control devicesuch as a mouse, a stylus, a touchpad, a bar code reader, a QuickResponse (QR) code reader, any sensor, or a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) reader.

The communication device 1800 may have any desired form factor, such asa handheld or mobile communication device (e.g., a cell phone, a smartphone, a mobile internet device, a music player, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), an ultra mobile personal computer, etc.), adesktop communication device, a server or other networked computingcomponent, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, anentertainment control unit, a vehicle control unit, a digital camera, adigital video recorder, or a wearable communication device. In someembodiments, the communication device 1800 may be any other electronicdevice that processes data.

The following paragraphs provide examples of various ones of theembodiments disclosed herein.

Example 1 is an electronic assembly, including: an antenna module,including: an integrated circuit (IC) package, wherein the IC packageincludes a die and a package substrate, the package substrate includes afirst face and an opposing second face, the die is coupled to the firstface of the package substrate, and the second face of the packagesubstrate has a recess therein, and an antenna patch, coupled to the ICpackage, such that the antenna patch is over or at least partially inthe recess.

Example 2 may include the subject matter of Example 1, and may furtherspecify that an air cavity is present between the antenna patch and abottom surface of the recess.

Example 3 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-2, and mayfurther specify that the antenna patch is a first antenna patch, theantenna module further includes a second antenna patch, and the secondantenna patch is between the first antenna patch and the IC package.

Example 4 may include the subject matter of Example 3, and may furtherspecify that an air cavity is present between the first antenna patchand the second antenna patch.

Example 5 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-4, and mayfurther specify that the antenna patch is coupled to an antenna patchsupport, and the antenna patch support is coupled to the IC package.

Example 6 may include the subject matter of Example 5, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is coupled to the antenna patch supportby solder or an adhesive.

Example 7 may include the subject matter of Example 5, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is part of a metallization layer in theantenna patch support.

Example 8 may include the subject matter of Example 5, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is secured in a recess of the antennapatch support.

Example 9 may include the subject matter of Example 8, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is secured in the recess of the antennapatch support by an adhesive.

Example 10 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 5-9, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes an aircavity between the antenna patch and the IC package.

Example 11 may include the subject matter of Example 10, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is a first antenna patch, the antennamodule further includes a second antenna patch, and the air cavity isbetween the first antenna patch and the second antenna patch.

Example 12 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 5-11, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes eight orfewer printed circuit board layers.

Example 13 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 5-12, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes a printedcircuit board.

Example 14 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 5-13, andmay further specify that the IC package is coupled to the antenna patchsupport by solder.

Example 15 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-14, andmay further specify that the antenna module includes at least fourantenna patches.

Example 16 may include the subject matter of Example 15, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patches are arranged in a linear array, and atleast one of the antenna patches is rotationally offset from the lineararray.

Example 17 may include the subject matter of Example 16, and may furtherspecify that the at least one of the antenna patches is rotationallyoffset from the linear array in a z-direction.

Example 18 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-17, andmay further specify that the IC package is a first IC package, and theantenna module further includes a second IC package.

Example 19 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-18, andmay further specify that a height of the antenna module is less than 3millimeters.

Example 20 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-19, andmay further specify that the antenna patch is a millimeter wave antennapatch.

Example 21 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-20, andmay further include a display.

Example 22 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-21, andmay further specify that the electronic assembly is a handheldcommunication device.

Example 23 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-21, andmay further specify that the electronic assembly is a router.

Example 24 is a method of manufacturing an antenna board, including:forming a recess in a first face of a printed circuit board; laminatinga layer of dielectric material to the first face over the recess;coupling a first antenna patch to the layer of dielectric material, suchthat the first antenna patch is over the recess after the layer ofdielectric material is laminated to the first face; coupling a secondantenna patch to a second face of the printed circuit board, wherein thesecond face of the printed circuit board is opposite to the first faceof the printed circuit board, and the second antenna patch is over therecess; and forming openings in the layer of dielectric material and inthe second face of the printed circuit board such that, after the layerof dielectric material is laminated to the first face and the openingsare formed, the openings are in fluid communication with the recess.

Example 25 may include the subject matter of Example 24, and may furtherspecify that the openings are formed by laser drilling.

Example 26 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 24-25, andmay further specify that the recess has a depth between 100 microns and500 microns.

Example 27 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 24-26, andmay further specify that the second antenna patch is coupled to thesecond face of the printed circuit board prior to laminating the layerof dielectric material to the first face over the recess.

Example 28 is a communication device, including: a display; a backcover; and an antenna module between the display and the back cover,wherein the antenna module includes: an integrated circuit (IC) package,wherein the IC package includes a die and a package substrate, and thepackage substrate has a recess therein, and an antenna patch, coupled tothe package substrate, such that the antenna patch is over or at leastpartially in the recess.

Example 29 may include the subject matter of Example 28, and may furtherspecify that an air cavity is present between the antenna patch and abottom surface of the recess.

Example 30 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-29, andmay further specify that the antenna patch is a first antenna patch, theantenna module further includes a second antenna patch, and the secondantenna patch is between the first antenna patch and the packagesubstrate.

Example 31 may include the subject matter of Example 30, and may furtherspecify that an air cavity is present between the first antenna patchand the second antenna patch.

Example 32 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-30, andmay further specify that the antenna patch is coupled to an antennapatch support, and the antenna patch support is coupled to the packagesubstrate.

Example 33 may include the subject matter of Example 32, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is coupled to the antenna patch supportby solder or an adhesive.

Example 34 may include the subject matter of Example 32, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is part of a metallization layer in theantenna patch support.

Example 35 may include the subject matter of Example 32, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is secured in a recess of the antennapatch support.

Example 36 may include the subject matter of Example 35, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is secured in the recess of the antennapatch support by an adhesive.

Example 37 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 32-36, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes an aircavity between the antenna patch and the IC package.

Example 38 may include the subject matter of Example 37, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patch is a first antenna patch, the antennamodule further includes a second antenna patch, and the air cavity isbetween the first antenna patch and the second antenna patch.

Example 39 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 32-38, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes eight orfewer printed circuit board layers.

Example 40 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 32-39, andmay further specify that the antenna patch support includes a printedcircuit board.

Example 41 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 32-40, andmay further specify that the IC package is coupled to the antenna patchsupport by solder.

Example 42 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-41, andmay further specify that the antenna module includes at least fourantenna patches.

Example 43 may include the subject matter of Example 42, and may furtherspecify that the antenna patches are arranged in a linear array, and atleast one of the antenna patches is rotationally offset from the lineararray.

Example 44 may include the subject matter of Example 43, and may furtherspecify that the at least one of the antenna patches is rotationallyoffset from the linear array in a z-direction.

Example 45 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-44, andmay further specify that the IC package is a first IC package, and theantenna module further includes a second IC package.

Example 46 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-45, andmay further specify that a height of the antenna module is less than 3millimeters.

Example 47 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-46, andmay further specify that the antenna patch is a millimeter wave antennapatch.

Example 48 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-47, andmay further specify that the communication device is a handheldcommunication device.

Example 49 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-48, andmay further specify that an air cavity is present between the antennamodule and the back cover.

Example 50 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 28-49, andmay further specify that an air cavity is present between the antennamodule and the display.

Example 51 is an antenna module, including: an integrated circuit (IC)package, wherein the IC package includes a die and a package substrate,and the package substrate has a recess therein; and an antenna patch,coupled to the package substrate, such that the antenna patch is over orat least partially in the recess.

Example 52 may include the subject matter of Example 51, and may furtherspecify that an air cavity is present between the antenna patch and abottom surface of the recess.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An electronic assembly, comprising: anantenna module, including: an integrated circuit (IC) package, whereinthe IC package includes a die and a package substrate, the packagesubstrate includes a first face and an opposing second face, the die iscoupled to the first face of the package substrate, and the second faceof the package substrate has a recess therein, and a first antenna patchand a second antenna patch coupled to the IC package, such that thefirst antenna patch is over or at least partially in the recess, thesecond antenna patch is between the first antenna patch and the packagesubstrate, and an air cavity is present between the first antenna patchand the second patch.
 2. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein thefirst antenna patch is coupled to an antenna patch support, and theantenna patch support is coupled to the IC package.
 3. The electronicassembly of claim 2, wherein the first antenna patch is coupled to theantenna patch support by solder or an adhesive, the antenna patch ispart of a metallization layer in the antenna patch support.
 4. Theelectronic assembly of claim 2, wherein the first antenna patch issecured in a recess of the antenna patch support.
 5. The electronicassembly of claim 2, wherein the antenna patch support includes an aircavity between the first antenna patch and the IC package.
 6. Theelectronic assembly of claim 5, wherein the air cavity is furtherbetween the package substrate and the second antenna patch.
 7. Theelectronic assembly of claim 2, wherein the antenna patch supportincludes a printed circuit board.
 8. The electronic assembly of claim 2,wherein the IC package is coupled to the antenna patch support bysolder.
 9. A communication device, comprising: a display; a back cover;and an antenna module between the display and the back cover, whereinthe antenna module includes: an integrated circuit (IC) package, whereinthe IC package includes a die and a package substrate, and the packagesubstrate has a recess therein, and a first antenna patch and a secondantenna patch coupled to the package substrate, such that the firstantenna patch is over or at least partially in the recess, the secondantenna patch is between the first antenna patch and the packagesubstrate, and an air cavity is present between the first antenna patchand the second patch.
 10. The communication device of claim 9, whereinan air cavity is present between the first antenna patch and a bottomsurface of the recess.
 11. The communication device of claim 10, whereinthe air cavity is further present between the package substrate and thesecond antenna patch.
 12. The communication device of claim 9, whereinthe antenna module includes at least four antenna patches.
 13. Thecommunication device of claim 12, wherein the antenna patches arearranged in a linear array, and at least one of the antenna patches isrotationally offset from the linear array.
 14. The communication deviceof claim 13, wherein the at least one of the antenna patches isrotationally offset from the linear array in a z-direction.
 15. Thecommunication device of claim 9, wherein a height of the antenna moduleis less than 3 millimeters.
 16. The communication device of claim 9,wherein any one of the first antenna patch and the second antenna patchis a millimeter wave antenna patch.
 17. The communication device ofclaim 9, wherein the communication device is a handheld communicationdevice.
 18. The communication device of claim 9, wherein an air cavityis present between the antenna module and the back cover, or an aircavity is present between the antenna module and the display.
 19. Anantenna module, comprising: an integrated circuit (IC) package, whereinthe IC package includes a die and a package substrate, and the packagesubstrate has a recess therein; and a first antenna patch and a secondantenna patch coupled to the package substrate, such that the firstantenna patch is over or at least partially in the recess, the secondantenna patch is between the first antenna patch and the packagesubstrate, and an air cavity is present between the first antenna patchand the second patch.
 20. The antenna module of claim 19, wherein theair cavity is further present between the second antenna patch and abottom surface of the recess.